February 8, 2022
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This coming Sunday is a secular Holy Day of Obligation – Super Bowl Sunday. Individuals will gather around their 50 inch or larger high-definition, flat screen televisions. They will share a variety of food such as pizza, buffalo wings, hot dogs, burgers and tacos, and there will be plenty to drink of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic kinds. They will choose sides and pray for divine intervention on behalf of their team (I hope they attended Mass or Sunday services). I have often heard it said that sports have become the new religion of our society. Football is America’s game.
Being a transplanted Wisconsinite, I came to understand the significance of a Sunday Packer game, which often accounted for a decrease in the late Sunday Mass attendance. When I watched television, I marveled at the bare-chested fans (short for fanatical) in freezing temperatures at Lambeau Field who risked pneumonia to demonstrate their loyalty. It is always remarkable to watch grown men cheer fanatically, with their bodies painted in the colors of their favorite team.
Of course, the NFL (National Football League) promotes the drama surrounding the various encounters of rival teams. Watching film clips of prior football plays explained by a commentator with a rich, deep voiceover emphasizing the significance of each action, presenting it as if the world depended on each execution. This presentation is embellished by a musical score which would be fitting for a World War II movie battle scene that magnifies the epic importance. One must always marvel at the passion expressed by so many and their commitment to the game.
A person once said to me, “You know, Father, I live for Sunday football.” I live for Sunday also, but not for Sunday football. Not one of the football players on my favorite team died so that I might have life. I understand being a fan. Now don’t get me wrong, I like and enjoy sports and I look forward to the competition and applaud the performance of excellent athletes. Support for one’s team and the players instill enthusiasm and pride for the community. But when one characterizes a competitive sport as the “reason for living,” then our priorities are askew.
When it comes to Sunday, I am a zealot (from zeal) not a fan. On Sunday, in Ancient Rome at the Circus Maximus, the Christians (my favorite team) would have to face the Lions (not the ones from Detroit but the African kind). The Christian could not live without Sunday, and they were sent to face the lions because of their commitment to Sunday. Their encounter meant life itself.
Sunday is the day of the resurrection. It is the greatest victory ever achieved. It is the ultimate defeat of sin and death. The Christians have cherished Sunday as that unique day which defines who we are. When we preserve Sunday as the Lord’s Day, we state that we belong to God.
Enjoy Super Bowl Sunday after you participate at Mass. You might offer a prayer for the Packers special teams and that you do your best to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
Sincerely,
Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
